HPBN Roundup: The Best From Around The Network

The second thing that I believe will set our glossary apart is that I want to do more than define the statistics. For each I would also like to explain a little about what it says and what it doesn’t say — what purpose it serves in our analytic discussion.

We’re just getting started with our Glossary and there’s a lot more to build. Over the next few days we’ll be looking at some basic shooting statistics which are collected in the box score. Then we can begin moving into how we manipulate and adjust some of these statistics to compensate for their various shortcomings, trying to answer different analytic questions. I know this pace may feel too slow for some of you, or to basic for others of you. We’ll try to get to where you are as quickly as we can, but remember there are a whole slew of eager, interested basketball fans coming up this ladder right behind you.

This is going to be one of the best features over at Nylon Calculus, which is saying something given how amazing the site already is and will continue to be. But a working glossary of this sort has been a long time coming in online basketball circles. Not only will this glossary define terms in the basic sense, but it’s going to provide context for what the terms actually mean and how they came about. Really great stuff from Ian and the rest of the Nylon Calculus crew.

From Mid-Level Exceptional: How Do Taxes Affect NBA Contracts?

When you’re making this much money, financial planning is key. A professional athlete has a brief shelf life relative to other careers, so maximizing earnings while you can is crucial. Taxes are an important part of this.

People often cite the difference in state income tax rates as a major factor. Some places, like Texas, don’t have state income tax. Other places, like New York, have quite a significant state income tax. The highest marginal state tax rate in New York state is 8.82%; this may not seem earth shattering for most people, but when you’re figuring out which state to sign a maximum contract in, it makes a difference. The question is, just how much of a difference?

It’s a question that comes up every single year around this time: if a free agent chooses New York over Texas, how much money is he really giving up in taxes? With Carmelo Anthony recently making the decision to stay in New York, we have an easy test case, and Mark Evans dives into the actuarial goodness to sort everything out for you.

From Upside & Motor: Breaking Down Jusuf Nurkic’s dominance in the U20 European Championships

In the five games leading up to the championship game, Nurkic averaged 23 points, 13.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks per game. On his way to tournament MVP, Nurkic finished second in points, first in rebounding, first in free throws and drawn fouls, first in blocked shots, tenth in assists, and 11th in steals for the entire competition. However, these contributions paled in comparison to his performance in the finals, where Nurkic put up 34 points, added 13 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, drew 13 fouls, and sunk 16 of his 18 shots from the free throw line. Nurkic was omnipresent, and he showed off a much more diverse game here than he had previously gotten to portray in the Adriatic League.

Nurkic displayed a little bit of everything in the U20 tournament, and a lot of it seems like it’ll translate once he’s in the NBA. Still, Sam Vecenie points out, the Nuggets might be best served taking a year to iron out the wrinkles in Nurkic’s game and work on his conditioning. Given the right environment and proper room to grow, Nurkic could become a force to be reckoned with in the NBA.

Around the Web: Jamal Crawford Is Trying To Keep Seattle’s Basketball Dream Alive

The Seattle Pro-Am originated as the All Hoop, No Hype league in 1996. It was started by then NBA veteran Doug Christie. Soon after its formation, a local high school standout found himself playing on Christie’s team. That standout would go on to win two NBA Sixth Man of the Year Awards.

Jamal Crawford, like Christie, attended Rainier Beach High School in southeast Seattle. In 2006, Christie passed the torch as owner of Seattle’s premier summer league. “When I was 16, he took me under his wing, and it was a natural transition with him retiring and getting a little bit older,” Crawford said. “He said, ‘I think it’ll be in good hands with you leading.’”

Just eight years later, Crawford has developed the league into a must-visit basketball spectacle in the Pacific Northwest, reigniting the passions of a city. Under Crawford’s watch, the Pro-Am, which runs from early June to late August, has served as a platform for local talent and a magnet for some big names. But he didn’t do it alone.